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FOOD FOR THOUGHT: God's Easter People
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One of my earliest memories of Easter is rising before the sun on Easter Sunday and driving with my family to the top of Rib Mountain in Wausau, Wisconsin and joining with other parishioners from First Presbyterian Church to greet the risen sun and the risen Son! Part of the tradition was singing this Avery and Marsh song:
Ev'ry morning is Easter morning from now on!
Ev'ry day's resurrection day, the past is over and gone!
Good-bye guilt, good-bye fear, good riddance! Hello, Lord, Hello, sun!
I am one of the Easter People! My new life has begun!
Ev'ry morning is Easter morning from now on!
Ev'ry day's resurrection day, the past is over and gone!
Daily news is so bad it seems the Good News seldom gets heard.
Get it straight from the Easter People! God's in charge spread the word!
Even today, while I appreciate not getting up before the sun on Easter morning, I still get this song in my head and it brings a smile to my face. Because Easter truly is about our new life beginning. The song is a reminder that each day brings us a new beginning and with it an opportunity to share the Good News. I saw a tweet on Easter Day that said, "I asked a friend this week, what do you want for Easter? What would you like Easter to do for you?" and I was struck by the consumeristic approach of the question. Because it seems to me that the question isn't "what would you like Easter to do for you?" but rather "What will you let Easter do to you?"
Our short reading from the Acts of the Apostles for this Sunday tells us that because of Easter, because of the resurrection of the Lord, there was not a needy person among the believers because they sold everything they had and distributed the proceeds "to each as any had need." This is what those early believers let Easter do to them. We may find their response too radical, too outrageous for our own spirituality but at least we must pause to consider, "what will we let Easter do to us?" This Sunday we will be distributing UTO collection boxes. The United Thank Offering is a ministry of The Episcopal Church for the mission of the whole church. Through UTO, we can nurture the habit of giving daily thanks to God and share the Good News of the Resurrection. We can truly be Easter people.
Easter is not a single day. It lasts 50 days - from the Sunday of the Resurrection (April 5) through Pentecost (May 24). This year, I invite you to join me in placing money in a UTO collection box for each of the 50 days of Easter as we give thanks for all that Easter calls us to do. Because ev'ry morning is Easter morning from now on and we are God's Easter People who have been placed in charge of spreading the word!
- Pastor Debra+
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Worship
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In the baptismal covenant, we are asked, "Will you continue in the apostles' teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in the prayers?" and we respond, "I will, with God's help."
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Second Sunday of Easter: Acts 4:32-35, 1 John 1:1-2:2, John 20:19-31
"Oh, how good and pleasant it is, when brethren live together in unity!" -Psalm 133:1
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This Sunday's Lay Ministers
Thank you to the following parishioners for sharing their time and talent with the congregation this week. If you would like to become involved, please contact Pastor Debra at 847-732-9564 or [email protected].
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| Easter Flower Deliveries  After worship this Sunday and throughout the week, we will be delivering Easter flowers to parishioners. Last Sunday, children received butterfly planter-marker kits in church. Please have your child bring one of the completed markers back this Sunday to include with our deliveries (the other one is for you to enjoy at home). In addition, if you or your family would like to help with the deliveries, please let Pastor Debra know so that addresses of those parishioners living closest to you can be prepared for this Sunday. |
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Christian Formation
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Lifelong Christian faith formation is important for lifelong growth in the knowledge, service and love of God as followers of Christ. Regardless of where you are on your spiritual journey, no matter what season of life you are in, you are invited to enter into a prayerful of continuous learning.
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Children's Formation
On Sunday mornings from 9:30 - 10:15, children (ages 3 - 12) are invited to take part in small groups that include Bible reading and response through arts and crafts, games, and other activities. There are three classes and this week's leaders are: Patty Acha / Daisy Kishler (ages 3 - 5), Anne Heinz / Luke Urbanowski (ages 6 - 8), John Lucadamo / Lori Goede (ages 9 - 11).
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Fellowship
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Where are you today? Lonely and afraid? Joyful and confident? Somewhere in between? Wherever you are in your journey of faith, know that there is a place for you here, companionship for the journey in this community gathered.
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♪♫ Music Night♫♫
If it's Wednesday Night it's Music Night at St. Mark's! Who will be the composer of the month? What will be the instrument of the fortnight? Will there be a quote of the week? Come and find out! Associate for Music Ministries, David Plank, leads "Music Night." People with any level of musical background-even those with no music experience-are welcome to come upstairs to the choir room on Wednesday night from 6:00-7:30. Younger children, starting at age five, are welcome to join with all ages from 6:00-6:30. Youth and adults can come (or continue) from 6:30-7:30. Please contact David with any questions you may have at
[email protected].
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Social Justice & Outreach Opportunities
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St. Mark's continues its commitment to our community through its many social justice and outreach activities. Following are ways in which you can get involved with the St. Mark's community in helping to create a better world.
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Stand Against Racism
Evanston's 2015 Stand Against Racism will take place on Friday, April 24. Join St. Mark's as we make a public stand for equality and justice alongside the entire Evanston community. Meet us at St. Mark's Church at 12:15. We will line up on Ridge as a group from 12:30-12:55.
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|  Wednesday Lunch Program Has Launched! Lunches are being packed on Tuesday evenings at 6 p.m. in Cunningham Hall. Lunches are being served on Wednesdays (volunteers are asked to arrive by 10:45 and stay until 1 p.m.). If you're interested in volunteering, please sign-up here:
For more information, contact Community Engagement Coordinator, Jacqui Zeng at [email protected]. |
Third Sunday Food Drive
On the third Sunday of each month, St. Mark's will collect non-perishable food items to be shared with local food pantries. On Sunday
April 19
, please bring your boxes of cereals, cans of soup, jars of peanut butter and other non-perishables with you to church. The big red shopping cart will be waiting for you at the back of the sanctuary. This month's donations will be given to
the food pantry at Hemenway United Methodist Church
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Producemobile - Tuesday, April 14
On the 2nd Tuesday of each month, Interfaith Action of Evanston teams up with the Greater Chicago Food Depository to bring free, fresh produce to our neighbors in need. The distribution takes place from 9:30 - 11:30 at the Robert Crown Center. Volunteers are needed from 8:30 a.m. - 11:45 a.m. If you are able to help on March 10, please send an e-mail to Pastor Debra, [email protected]
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Social Media and St. Mark's 
If you have your mobile device it would be good if you put it on silent when in worship. But if anything in Sunday's service - a prayer, reading, hymn or the sermon-moves you, please feel free to tweet it or post it to Facebook #StMarkEvanston. While you're at it, "check-in" with us on Foursquare!
St. Mark's website has up-to-date information on all that's new at St. Mark's - including a current calendar of events - check it out at http://www.stmarksevanston.org. Also, we are on Facebook and Twitter! Find us at http://www.facebook.com/StMarkEvanston and follow us @StMarkEvanston.
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This Week at Saint Mark's
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| Wednesday, April 8 11:00 a.m. Wednesday Lunch, St. Mark's 6:00 p.m. Music Night, Choir Room 7:00 p.m. Evanston English Country Dancers, Cunningham Hall 7:00 p.m. Evanston Creative Writing Group, Library Thursday, April 9 10:00 a.m. Holy Eucharist, The King Home Friday, April 10 6:15 p.m. Second Friday Dinner, Location TBA Sunday, April 12 8:00 a.m. Holy Eucharist, Lady Chapel 9:30 a.m. Children's Formation, Classrooms 10:30 a.m. Holy Eucharist with Music, Sanctuary 12 Noon Hand Bell Choir Rehearsal, Balcony Monday, April 13 7:00 p.m. Worship Life Team Meeting, Parlor Tuesday, April 14 8:30 a.m. Producemobile, Robert Crown Center 6:00 p.m. Wednesday Lunch Packing, St. Mark's 7:30 p.m. InterPlay Class, Cunningham Hall Wednesday, April 15 11:00 a.m. Wednesday Lunch, St. Mark's 6:00 p.m. Music Night, Choir Room 7:00 p.m. Evanston English Country Dancers, Cunningham Hall 7:00 p.m. Evanston Creative Writing Group, Library |
| April 5 Sandra Howard April 6 Liz McElhatton April 7 Ellie Bergman April 9 Caroline Frowe Dan Whitmore April 10 Bob Barr April 11 Holly Yanaga Kendra Johnson April 16 Jeremy Greene April 18 Samuel Najem April 20 Owen Baker April 21 David Plank April 23 Rudy Burke Tim Himrod
April 28
Dick Brooks
Holly Benz
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April 10
Clark and Nasim Alexander
April 19
Gary and Liz McElhatton
April 26
Michael Schoen and Nathan Waller
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In The Community
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God calls us to love our neighbors as ourselves. Loving finds all of its meaning in relationship. The following are opportunities to be in relationship with one another and with the community of Evanston.
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 The Mask You Live In: Movie Screening
Members of the community are invited to a screening and facilitated discussion of the documentary The Mask You Live In on Saturday, April 18 at 5:30 p.m. at Grace Lutheran Church, 1430 South Blvd., Evanston. The film follows boys and young men as they struggle to stay true to themselves while negotiating America's narrow definition of masculinity. Pressured by the media, their peer group, and even the adults in their lives, our protagonists confront messages encouraging them to disconnect from their emotions, devalue authentic friendships, objectify and degrade women, and resolve conflicts through violence. These gender stereotypes interconnect with race, class, and circumstance, creating a maze of identity issues boys and young men must navigate to become "real" men. Experts in neuroscience, psychology, sociology, sports, education, and media also weigh in, offering empirical evidence of the "boy crisis" and tactics to combat it. The Mask You Live In ultimately illustrates how we, as a society, can raise a healthier generation of boys and young men. This film, only available via private screening, addresses issues that are critical to families in and beyond faith communities, and we believe the event will foster meaningful consideration, discussion, and action together. This screening is free to all with a suggested donation of $5. Reservations are not required, but because seating is limited, you may wish to secure your seat by RSVPing at http://tinyurl.com/themaskscreening.
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Adult InterPlay Group 
InterPlay is an easy to learn creative process that invites adult participants to express themselves through storytelling, movement and vocalization. Through well-established methods of play participants can simply have fun. They can also discover new things about themselves and others. InterPlayers across the world are celebrating its 25th birthday this year. You can be part of the party! No Prior Experience is Necessary. This class meets every Tuesday night in Cunningham Hall. The cost is $5 per session. Contact: Christina Ernst (847)899-5329.
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 Evanston English Country Dance Group
This group meets every other Wednesday in Cunningham Hall. All dances are taught and prompted. We learn English Country dances devised from pre-1650 to the present. Jane Austin would recongize much of the dancing we do. Once a month, we have live music performed by Putting on Aires; the other Wednesdays, the music is from an extensive CD collection. You are welcome to come with or without a partner. Wear comfortable shoes (the type you would use to walk a mile) and casual clothing. We ask for a $5 ($3 for students) admittance fee to cover the rent and to buy music for the band. For further information, contact Tom Senior 847-606-8704, [email protected].
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 Evanston Creative Writing Meetup
If you like to write and want a supportive environment in which to write, join us! Each week, a member volunteers to provide writing prompts to spark our creativity. It can be a first line, an object, a picture, a situation. For about 10-15 minutes we write and if we feel like sharing we read our creation aloud. This is not a critique group - only positive feedback is encouraged. We usually fit in 3-4 prompts in an evening. Member ages range from young adults to octagenarians. You do not have to be a serious or professional writer to participate. The group meets on the 2nd and 4th Wednesday of each month in the Old Library at St. Mark's or Panera. For more information go to http://www.meetup.com/Evanston-Creative-Writing-Group/
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Parish Prayer List
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If you would like your loved ones added to (or removed from) the prayer list, please send an e-mail to [email protected]. Thank you.
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| We bid your prayers for: Helen Baker, Veronica Braithwaite, John Burnham, Tony Campise, Karen Cornelius, Bob Easton, Hal Griffith, Mary Hair, Lola Himrod, Charlie and Judy Kopp, Grace Lettner, Kathy Lettner, Ayden Lettner, Ann Lettner, Phyllis Lyons, Jake Morris, Mary O'Dowd, Jan and Jeri Offutt, Danny White, Char Wiss, Carol Albertson, Carol Beatty, Roger Cain, Patricia Gosling, Dave and Jan Gurniak, Andre King, Allison King, Marc King, OJ Mabwa, Melendez-Madrigal Family, Garrett Moody, Scott Moody, Tricia Moody, Tim and his family, Jill Vannatta, Richard Walsh. We pray for those who have died: Gustavo Melendez, friend of Robin Tucker; Ludwig Banach, friend of Ted Loda. We pray for the people in: the Diocese of Southeast Mexico and in the Diocese of Renk. |
Stay Connected
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